Cultivator-shovel.



S. P. LENTZ. GULTIVATOR SHOVEL.

APPLIUATION FILED Nov. 1. 1009.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

wy i? i ,UNITED sierras PAQENT OFFICE.

SYLVANUS PETER LNTZ, OF DAYTQN, INDIANA.

' To. all iulwm it may concem 'Beit lknownthat I, S LvANUs P. LnN'rz, a citizen of the United' States,y residing at Dayton, in the county of Tip ecanoe and State of Indiana, have invente certain new 4and useful Improvements in Cultivator- Y Shovels, of which` the lfollowing is a -specication, reference being had to the accom.

v pan ing drawings. p T is invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in vcultivator shovels and has for its objectI to provide a device of th-i'scharacter which is adapted to be used' in the cultivation of such agricultural products as corn, cotton, tobacco, potatoes, etc., and is rimarily devised with a, view to facilitating the rapid growth of the plant and preventing the same from being choked by various rancorous growths.

v Anotherl object is to provide a c'ultivator shovel ofnovel construction which is, adjustably secured uponthe plow foot carried Aby the cultivator, whereby the shovel blades may be positioned with relation to each 25.other to cut a deep or shallow furrow vupon -p osite sides' of the plant and direct the re use material away from the same.

A. further object is to provide a'cultivator shovel which may be advantageously eml lployed in removing the water from around theroots of the plant after heavy rains. With these and other objectsin view, the yinvention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, here- S'il'lafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings .in which, I f Figure 1 is a side elevation of the rear end of a cultivator, showin my improved shovel secured thereto and ig. 2 is a detail per- Spective view of one of the shovel blades.

In the cultivation of corn, cotton, tobacco,

etc., it is absolutely essential for the attain-4 ment of the best results, that the early growth of the plants should be fostered and encouraged by constant care and attention. yThis necessitates considerable manual labor on the art of the producer, and it is the .object ci) possible the most disagreeable features of 'this undesirable labor.

To this end I have devised a cultivator shovel which is attachable to various forms .of cultivatorsin common use and is ad- 5? 4justable upon thecultivat-or of a plow foot. shown in the drawings which 'illustrate -in their adjusted my invention to eliminate as'far as' CULTIVATOR-SHOVEL.

chine. They are each 'formed with acylin drical shank at their .lower ends, upon which my im roved shovel blades 7 are adjustably secure As-will be clearly seen fromA referenceV to Fig. 4, each of the shovel blades consists of u rectangular plate of concave-convex form.

l L Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

Application tiled November 1, 1909. Serial No. 525,738. l

This plate' is curved or rounded at its lower end, as shown at 9. In operation these curved euls are arranged in close proximityr to each other, which provides an open space between them. suilicient to allow of the tree movement of the blades upon opposite sides-of the plant, It will also be observed that the plates extend rearwardly and upwardly at' an an yle and also laterally toward the opposite si es of the machine.

To the rear or convex face of each of the plates a tubular sleeve or bearin member 11 is secured. These sleeves may ge secured to the plate by means of suitable fastening bolts or rivets, or in any other manner which may be found desirable. A set screw 13 extends transversely through each of the sleeves and is adapted to bind against the cylindrical foot 6 to secure the shovel blades osition with relation to each other. It wil be obvious that as these vsleeves are moved vertically upon the cylindrical Shanks, the shovels will be moved to regulate the depth of the cut, or in other words, the forward curved lower edges thereof will extend a greater or less depth into the ground.

By 'rotating the sleeves upon the Shanks and ybinding the screwsl thereag'ainst, the blades may also be adjusted laterally toward or away from each other. This lateral ad justment will provide an openin between the forward ends of the blades o sufficient area to allow the plants to pass between the same, the extent of such adjustment depending upon the extent of the growth of the lants being cultivated. The convex outer aces of the shovel blades act in the nature of scoops, while the lower edge thereof has a cutting function and cuts into the ground This -open space is amply Y y www' I upon, opposite sides of the plants and severs the weeds at their roots, the movement of the machine carrying the refuse material rearwardly and discharging the same from the ends of the blades upon opposite sides of the plant row. In this manner the rapid growth of the plants to maturity is materially facilitated as very often a large proportion of the crop is entirely lost by the plants being choked and their growth practically killed by weeds or other rancorous growth. A cultivator shovel as labove set forth will* also be found of ymaterial advantage in removing water which has accumulated from heavy rains about' the roots of the plantsl and has a tendency to rot vthe same. This superiuous Water will be conducted away fromthe plants by the curved shovel blades, while the earth will be formed into a ridge about the plants roots as they pass between the blades in the movement ofthe machine. From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a ver desirable form of cultivvator shovel which 1s admirably adapted for l the purposes in'view, and whereby a large amount ofl labor which has heretofore required considerable e'ort is easily and quickly accomplished. The lants will thus` be offered the proper nouris ment which is essential to their mature growth.

The construction and arrangement of the shovel blades is extremely simple and they believe to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the 'same is capable of a great many minor modifications 'without materially 'departing from the spirit or sacriicinglany of theadvantages of the invention. Having vthus ldescribed the invention what is claimed is:

A. cultivator shovel-comprisinga blade of concavo-convcx form throughout its length, i

the curvature of said blade gradually-fin creasing from one yend to the other thereof to form the ground engaging forward 'end of the blade, the edge of said end being rounded, the gradual curvature of the forward end of said blade preventin the disposal of material over the upper ge there- 0f and means carried by the blade for attaching the same to a su port.

In testimony whereof 1p hereunto aiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.A SYLVANUS PETER LEN TZ.

' Witnesses:

MARLET C. ROHLER, OMER` E. ROHLER.a y 

